Jeff Taebel, John Jacob, David Crossley
The Case for a Dense Core
Steve Belmont, AIA:
Transit, Location Efficiency, and Transit-Oriented Development
Hank Dittmar:
Financing Mixed Use Progressive Development
Chris Leinberger:
Houston, we have an opportunity
Dr. Arthur C. Nelson, ASCE, FAICP
Entire report - pdf - 2 meg
Presentations
Steve Belmont- 14 meg
Hank Dittmar- 19 meg
Chris Leinberger- 18 meg
Arthur Nelson - 8 meg
Jeff Taebel- 3 meg
John Jacob- 3.5 meg
David Crossley- 9 meg
Developers Panel
Left to right, James Calaway, Doug Williams, Tom Bacon, Bill Franks, Barbara Tennant
Houston developers discussed the difficulties and opportunities of dense urban development in Houston during the second half of the conference. The panel’s moderator was James Calaway, CEO, Center for Houston's Future. The panel consisted of Tom Bacon, Lionstone Group; Bill Franks, Spire Realty; Barbara Tennant, Perry Homes; Doug Williams, Hardy Yards.
Each of them cited major difficulties in creating dense urban development including:
• Lack of controls to prevent suburban style development that erodes effectiveness of trying to create walkable, urban landscape, specifically citing the new suburban CVS store in Midtown
• Obtaining tracts of land large enough for dense development
• Lack of financing for urban, progressive projects
• Finding land at the right price
Things the panel said need to happen:
• Need to have more rooftops in Downtown and Midtown, which would in turn generate demand for more business
• Need to have major public planning efforts
• Need to change the density requirements to allow for more density and less parking per household
Another topic covered by the panel included affordable housing. Inevitably, the supply of affordable housing seems to go by the wayside as neighborhoods redevelop in closer-in areas. Areas including Midtown and the Heights are examples. Doug Williams said that one way to keep some affordable housing would be to get the city to buy land with part of the proceeds coming from tax improvement districts (each district must save a portion of their tax proceeds for affordable housing). By owning the land, he said, they can control the housing on top in the longer-term. However he said given all the politicians wanting their “own piece of the pie,” such a feat would be hard.
Others agreed with the complexity of the issue including Bill Franks who said it is very hard for the city to keep any land in times of budget downs. Responding to a question about what he would do if he were king for a day, Tom Bacon said one day would not be enough. Such management of land and affordable housing would “require a king for four years.” It would be difficult to say the least, said Bacon, for a bureaucratic city with several different kings and queens to manage such an undergoing given the financial complexity and divisive opinions. Barbara Tennant noted that the added bureaucracy would slow the ability of developers to respond to market forces.